MANUFACTURING and PROCESSING of COMPOSITE MATERIALS Dr
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
MANUFACTURING AND PROCESSING OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS Dr. Osama Mohammed Elmardi Suleiman Khayal Nile Valley University, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, Sudan e-mail: [email protected] Abstract Composite materials have been utilized to solve technological problems for a long time but only in the 1960s did these materials start capturing the attention of industries with the introduction of polymeric-based composites. Since then, composite materials have become common engineering materials and are designed and manufactured for various applications including automotive components, sporting goods, aerospace parts, consumer goods, and in the marine and oil industries. The growth in composite usage also came about because of increased awareness regarding product performance and increased competition in the global market for lightweight components. Among all materials, composite materials have the potential to replace widely used steel and aluminum, and many times with better performance. Replacing steel components with composite components can save 60 to 80% in component weight, and 20 to 50% weight by replacing aluminum parts. Keywords: Manufacturing, processing, composite materials, nano – composites, Metal matrix composites, fabrication of metal matrix composites INTRODUCTION There are more than 50,000 materials available to engineers for the design and manufacturing of products for various applications. These materials range from classical materials (e.g., copper, cast iron, brass), which have been available for several hundred years, to the more recently developed, advanced materials (e.g., composites, ceramics, and high performance steels). Due to the wide choice of materials, today‘s engineers are posed with a big challenge for the right selection of a material and the right selection of a manufacturing process for an application. It is difficult to study all of these materials individually; therefore, a broad classification is necessary for simplification and characterization. 1 These materials, depending on their major characteristics (e.g., stiffness, strength, density, and melting temperature), can be broadly divided into four main categories • Metals, • Plastics, • Ceramics, and • Composites. We tend to think of the latter half of the twentieth century as the ―composite age‖. In some ways this is realistic and gives us a feeling of continuity from former ―material based ages‖ such as the stone, bronze and iron ages. Certainly the last 50 years have been associated with some remarkable developments in composite materials. DEFINITION OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS The word ‗composite‘ in composite materials means that two or more materials are combined together in a certain order on a macroscopic level to form a new material with different and attractive properties. The reason alloys are not considered in this category is because they are homogeneous on the macroscopic level. A composite material consists of two phases: Primary - Forms the matrix within which the secondary phase is imbedded. - Any of three basic material types: polymers, metals, or ceramics. Secondary - Referred to as the imbedded phase or called the reinforcing agent. - Serves to strengthen the composite. (fibers, particles, etc.). - Can be one of the three basic materials or an element such as carbon or boron. Composite materials consist of a bulk material called the matrix, and a filler of some types such as fibers, whiskers or particles. Composite materials are conventionally classified into three categories viz. polymer matrix, metal matrix and ceramic matrix depending on the matrix employed. Furthermore, composites can be divided into classes in various manners. One simple classification scheme is to separate them according to reinforcement forms particulate-reinforced, fiber-reinforcement, or 2 laminar composites. Fiber reinforced composites can be further divided into those containing discontinuous or continuous fibers. Although the continuous-fiber-reinforced metal matrix composites (MMCs) have the best combination of mechanical properties, particulate reinforced MMCs are superior from the viewpoint of cost-performance tradeoff. Compared to fiber reinforced MMCs, the particulate-reinforced MMCs possess improved ductility, reduced anisotropy of mechanical properties, as well as ease of secondary working with conventional metal working techniques. The availability of inexpensive particulates as reinforcements serves as an added advantage. In particulate strengthened metal matrix composites, the strengthening is due to both the matrix as well as the dispersed phase. While the matrix provides strengthening by restricting the crack growth, thus avoiding the brittle failure, the dispersed phase acts as an impediment for dislocation movements. This type of strengthening is similar to precipitation hardening but for the fact that the strengthening effect is not as pronounced as with precipitation hardening. But because the particles that are dispersed into the matrix are inert, the strengthening is retained at elevated temperatures. Also, precipitation hardening is limited to the small amount of the dispersing phase. On the other hand, particulate reinforced composite can have significant percentage of the particulate and provide outstanding wear resistant properties. The properties of a composite depend on the following: - Properties of constituent phases. - Relative amounts of constituents. - Geometry of the dispersed phase. • Shape of particles. • Particle size. • Particle distribution. - Interfacial reactions between constituents. 3 Several properties of the composites may be assessed by the rule of mixture (ROM), which states that the property of the composite is the sum of products of the property of an individual constituent and its volume fraction in the composite. For example: Density: Dc = Dr Vr + Dm Vm where, D stands for density and subscripts c, r and m stand for composite, reinforcement and matrix respectively. This theoretical calculation can be used to check whether the composite produced has the optimum properties. Modulus, Strength, Electrical properties may sometimes be estimated with ROM as the first approximation. Only particulate reinforced metal matrix composites will be dealt with here. Discussion on other types of composites is beyond the scope of this chapter. CLASSIFICATION OF COMPOSITE MATERIAL Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) - Include mixtures of ceramics and metals, such as cemented. - carbides and other cermets, as well as aluminum or magnesium reinforced by strong, high stiffness fibers. Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs) - Least common composite matrix. Aluminum oxide and silicon carbide are materials that can be imbedded with fibers for improved properties, especially in high temperature applications. Polymer Matrix Composites (PMCs) - Thermosetting resins are the most widely used polymers in PMCs. Epoxy and polyester are commonly mixed with fiber reinforcement. Matrix material serves several functions in the composite - provides the bulk form of the part or product - holds the imbedded phase in place - shares the load with the secondary phase The Reinforcing Phase Is an important material form for metals and ceramics range in size from microscopic (less than 1 micron) to macroscopic (greater than 1 micron). 4 - In the microscopic size range and proportion of imbedded material of 15% or less, the particles result in strengthening the matrix. - In the macroscopic size range and proportion of imbedded material of 25% or more, the particles serve to share the load with the matrix material. - This form of composite strengthening occurs in cemented carbides, in which tungsten carbide (80%) is held in a cobalt binder. NANO-COMPOSITES MATERIALS Nano-composites are materials that incorporate nanosized particles into a matrix of standard material. The result of the mixing nanoparticles with matrix gives a drastic improvement in properties such as mechanical strength, toughness, electrical and thermal conductivity. The effectiveness of the nanoparticles can appear if the material added is only between 0.5 and 5% by weight. Nanoparticles have an extremely high surface to volume ratio, which dramatically changes their properties when compared with their bulk-sized equivalents. It also change the way in which the nanoparticles bond with the bulk material. The result is that the composite can be many times improved with respect to the component parts. Nano-composites can dramatically improve properties like: • Mechanical properties including strength, modulus and dimensional stability. • Electrical conductivity. • Thermal stability. • Chemical resistance. • Surface appearance. • Optical clarity. Today, the industrial applicability of nano-composites is widely spread due to the improvements of the mechanical characteristics of such materials. Some applications fields of these materials are: • Automotive engine parts as mirror housings, door handles, engine covers and fuel tanks. • Impellers and blades for vacuum cleaners, power tool housings, mower hoods and covers for portable electronic equipment such as mobile phones. 5 • Thin-film capacitors for computer chips. • Oxygen and gas barriers. • Food packaging. METAL MATRIX COMPOSITES (MMCS) Metal matrix composites (MMCs) have been around for a long time, but have only been recognized as legitimate engineering composite materials in the second half of the twentieth century. From their humble research beginnings, MMCs have gone from "niche" materials to several high performance applications